Adopted
by KyoKittenFan
Summary: Kazuma didn't expect to be woken up at 2:00 AM, and he certainly didn't expect a broken and battered boy to be dropped off at his doorsteps. Can Kazuma help Kyo find his voice? and can Kyo show Kazuma a new meaning to life. Rated T for depression, child abuse, and other dark themes.
1. Chapter 1

Kazuma awoke to a gentle but loud tune going off, it took his brain a moment to recognize his ringtone and another moment to remember where his phone was. Grabbing it from the nightstand he flipped it and put it to his ear.

"mm Kazuma Soma" He mumbled, trying to make his voice sound more awake than he felt.

"Kazuma, This is Satsuki Soma."

Satsuki

Satsuki….

Why did that sound familiar

Oh, right, she had just given birth to the sheep zodiac

"What can I do for you Mrs. Soma?" Kazuma asked rubbing his brow.

"You have a dojo right? And I hear you do classes for kids?" Terra's voice sounded slightly desperate. Kazuma felt his fuzzy head go deeper into the well of confusion.

"that's correct but I'm afraid I do have an age limit. I don't think your infant son would be a good fit." Kazuma rubbed his head, glancing at the clock. 2:00 AM

"No, no he's going to be a few years. I'm actually calling in regards to another matter that I think you might be perfect to help me with. One of the Soma children, his mother passed away about a year ago, and there's been some issues with his father. He has a temper and so no one has wanted to take him in. I thought of you and how good you are with children and that you might be perfect to handle him."

"I could probably find a spot in class for him I think," Kazuma looked longingly at his pillow

"That would be great, but that's not all I'm really asking. He needs a spot to stay, just temporary, just until another family member steps up." Terra's voice sounded on the verge of desperate. Why did she care so much?

"I don't know about that, I've never had kids." A sigh escaped and he sat on the edge of the bed. "I mean I really don't think it'll work out. I'm busy at the dojo all day and I don't even cook and I don't have a bed for him or clothes."

"Listen, I'll handle all the little stuff, and he'll be at school while you're working and can come hang out for a couple hours after. Please, it's just temporary."

Kazuma had a hard time saying no

Especially to women

"Ok, well, I can come get him in the morning, er, um, later today." He glanced again at the clock.

"No need, I'm going to bring him right over, just get some blankets or a pillow or something set up."

"Wait now? You're going to bring him now?" his mind started speeding through all the things a child might need. Soap? Toothbrush? Blanket? Pillow? Food? Juice? Breakfast?

Clean

He needed to clean up

It wasn't terribly dirty but definitely not presentable to a guest

"Kazuma, are you listening?"

His mind came stumbling back to the moment and he found himself staring at the phone in his hand.

"Oh, yeah sorry, When did you say you would be here?" He asked while simultaneously picking up random dishes and running it to the kitchen.

"I'm here now, I'll meet you at the door."

"Wait now?!" Kazuma heard a soft 'click' and felt the energy drain from him as the reality of the situation crept down on him.

A kid

In his home

A random kid that he didn't even know

A kid who had anger issues

And was grieving the death of his mom

And had issues with his father, probably due to his father also grieving

How in the world did he get into this? 'Don't answer the phone at 2:00 AM' he made a mental note, and then summoned the strength to head to the door.

He opened it to see the blond haired women smiling at him, a backpack in one hand and in the other she held the hand of a small boy.

So small

Orange hair, probably dyed

Kazuma didn't ask the age but for some reason he was expecting a teenager not a kid who appeared to be about 11

The boy didn't look at him, but kept his eyes downcast and to the corner, probably shy.

"Is this him? "Kazuma asked the question but knew the answer.

"Yes, Kazuma meet Kyo Soma. Kyo." Satsuki knelt down and faced the boy. "You're going to be staying with Kazuma until someone else can take you in. I know that you're scared but don't worry Kazuma is a really nice man and he's going to take good care of you."

Kazuma couldn't help but feel again like he was way in over his head. This boy was so young and he had no experience taking care of such a young child. He didn't even know how to talk to kids outside of combat class.

Oh well

Learn by doing

"It's a pleasure to meet you Kyo, please come inside. I'll have a temporary bed set up for you tonight and we'll see about getting a better one for you tomorrow." Kazuma stepped to the side and gestured for them both to come in.

Satsuki waved her hand. "I must be going, Hiro has not spent much time away from me and I am sure he is driving his father up the wall. But do call if you have any questions. Kyo might be young but he's pretty independent so you shouldn't have to worry to much."

"Very well, I will be sure to keep in contact Mrs. Soma" Kazuma gave a polite bow which was quickly reciprocated before the petite women hurried away.

Kazuma closed the door and turned to the boy. Words seemed to escape him as he stared at the child.

He had always thought about kids but ever since Akane, it had not really crossed his mind. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. This was going to be tiring.

"Come this way and I'll make you up a place to sleep." Kazuma gestured for the boy to follow and grabbed some extra blankets from a closet before going into his bedroom. His guest room unfortunately was packed with boxes which would have to be cleared out tomorrow. Kazuma sighed again, why couldn't this have waited till morning, what was the big emergency?

He placed a couple blankets on the floor for cushion before putting down the pillow. "You can sleep here tonight. I'll be in the bed if you need anything. I'll make you some breakfast in the morning. What time do you start school?

No answer, the boy simply lied down and pulled the blanket around him.

Great.

He would call Satsuki in the morning and find out. If Kyo needed a ride he would have to figure something out, he didn't have a car and couldn't call a taxi every day.

"goodnight Kyo." Kazuma grumbled, collapsing back into his own bed.

Author's Note:

Well there is the first chapter, I know this is a very similar story to 'the cat's father'' but I wanted to try going a new direction with this one. Let me know what you think and do please review it makes my day.


	2. Chapter 2

Kyo woke up to the sound of a soft beep. He stood up and looked around, it took him a moment to recall the evens of late last night.

What was his name? Kazu-something Oh well, it didn't matter.

Food

He had to make food

The man stirred and slowly sat up. He looked grumpy. He was very grumpy last night, Kyo could tell. He sighed a lot, but he didn't yell at Kyo so that was nice.

Kazuma seemed surprised when he noticed Kyo, and then confused, and then he nodded and let out a soft sigh. 'He must really not like me' Kyo thought.

"Good morning Kyo," Kazuma swung his legs to the side of the bed and stretched. "I'm going to go do a morning rutine and make a couple phone calls before making you something to eat. Do feel free to take a look around.

Kyo gave a quick nod, best not to speak yet, father hated it when he spoke.

As soon as Kazuma left the room and Kyo made sure to listen, not moving until he heard the sound of the door closing.

Alright, food, he had to get some breakfast ready for the man.

Kyo got up and quitely went through the house, he found the kitchen and opened up the fridge.

It was pretty empty, but there were some eggs. He could make eggs. Kyo grabbed the egg carton and set it on the counter before rummaging through the cubbards for a pan. Even in his dad's kitchen there were some okay looking pots and pans that he mother used. In this kitchen, all he could find was a small skillet that had both cobwebs and mouse droppigs in it. Kyo shuddered, he hated mice.

He rinsed out the skillet, making sure to scrub it with soap, then went about placing it on the stove, then grabbing a chair and drgging it over so he could climb up and work. He had to be careful to put the chair back after, he reminded himself, before putting some oil in and when it wqs good and hot cracking the eggs to letl them sizzle in the pan.

Kyo liked cooking, at least when he didn't mess up.

"When you put the salt in, you always put some in your hand and then put it in the pan, this way you can measure" His mother smiled at him, shaking the salt into his cupped hands.

"But how do I know how much to put in?" Kyo asked, staring at the white crystals

"hmm" His mother put a hand to her lip, thinking. "I suppose I always kinda just feel it. Maybe it's part of being a chef, you feel when things are just right."

Kyo tipped his hand into the pot, letting the salt sprinkle on the grilling chicken.

"Just like that." His mother nodded, stirring the pot.

"will daddy like it?" Kyo asked, watching intently as the chicken sizzled and the aroma filled the air.

"I think he will." His mother smiled, and not for the first time, Kyo noticed the smile waver just a hint.

"What's this smell?"

Kyo jumped, nearly falling off his chair, he spun to see the man walk into the kitchen, rubbing his head and yawning.

"I, Um, I wanted to make you some breakfast." Kyo stammered, he glanced down at the eggs and his breath caught as he saw they were starting to burn.

No, No, No, you shouldn't have dazed off, you should have been paying attention, stupid, stupid, stupid

"I'm sorry, I'll get it cleaned up and make you some new ones right away." Kyo grabbed the handle and let out a cry as the metal burned his palm. He pulled back and the weight shift toppled over the chair he was standing on, causing him to go crashing to the ground.

"I'm sorry." He cried, crawling away from the man. "I didn't mean to I promise, I'll get it fixed."

"Hey, hey it's fine, it's just eggs." The man switched the stove off and put the chair upright.

"I burned them, I'm sorry." Kyo shook his head.

Stupid, Stupid, Stupid. Kyo shut his eyes tight, reaching the edge of the wall

"Stupid Boy!" Pain spread through Kyo's cheek as he was slapped back against the wall. "I work all day to provide for you, to give you food, and you ruin it." He grabbed the dinner plate and threw it at the boy, it shattered on the wall above his head, sending ceramic shards and cut up chicken showing down on him. "You are uselses, you are beyong useless, it would be better if you never tried to do anything."

"I'm sorry." Kyo whimpered, covering his head with his hands, his knees drawn in.

"Yeah, well sorry doesn't give me a good meal. Now I'll have to go to bed hungry because you decided that a pound of salt was a good idea to put on my meal.

Kyo glanced up to see his mother, sitting at the table, pale,

Sorry mom

I'm sorry

"I'm sorry."

"Hey, it's okay, how about we get some new eggs and try again togeather?"

Kyo opened his eyes to see the man knleeling next to him, his eyebrows furrowed. Was was angry

"I'll fix it." Kyo tried his best to sound convincing

"How about we fix it togeather?"

He probably wanted to watch to keep him from messing up again. He was probably going to yell when he did something wrong. It was a trap. Don't trust it.

"Ok." Kyo nodded his head, and got up, trying to steady his shaking hand.

"We'll just put these to the trash." Kazuma grabbed a towl and wrpped it around the skillet handle.

"Wait, I'll eat them." Kyo jumped up, rushing to the stove.

"It's okay Kyo," Kazuma looked down, pan in mid air. "I have more eggs, a few broken eggs won't hurt anyone.

"Are you sure?" Kyo's eyes were wide, his hands up like he wasn't sure what to do.

"Yeah I'm sure, go sit down at the table and I'll whip something up for us. Scrambled okay?"

Kyo wordlessly went to the table, and sat silently, if the man was upset he was sure to take it out after the smallest mistake, Kyo had to be sure to behave, mess ups were not okay.

Author's Note:

Here is the second chapter, I'm working on the 3rd right now but the more reviews the more motivation I'll have. Please let me know what you think.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Listen I think this was a mistake." Kazuma whispered into the phone, eyeing the boy now picking at his eggs. "I'm not up for this, you said he had anger issues and that I could deal with this but the kid had some sort of break down about freaking breakfast. What do I do with that?"

"Kazuma, I know everything is new to you, it's new to him too. Listen, he'll be in school most of the day and I'll work on finding some place for him, just try and handle things." There was a sigh from the phone and Kazuma couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt.

It's not like you signed up for this' He told himself. It's not like you adopted the kid and you're giving him back, you just don't know how to take care of him, it's better that he's going to someone who does.'

Somehow the worm in his chest didn't go away. Oh well, school he could do, just had to drop him off and then he could relax.

"Is that what you're wearing to class?" Kazuma turned to the boy, putting his phone away.

Kyo, who was in an oversized shirt looked down at himself and then quickly shook his head.

"we'll go get dressed, we're leaving soon." Kazuma sighed running a hand through his hair. As kyo scampered off he picked up the dishes and placed the min the sink. 'more for me to do.' He shook his head, trying to clear the negativity from his mind. Kyo was just a kid, he needed someone to take care of him, Kazuma just had to last the day.

Kyo scampered out less than 5 mins later later with a red top and jeans. They looked old, but at least they fit. "ok, you need anything else for school?" the boy shook his head, and kazuma turned towards the door. "Let's get going then, don't want to be late.

Luckily for Kazuma he was fairly farmiliar with the local school's schedule, as many of his students came from there and he was often reccomended by teachers.

'I've made all the arrangemen- Oh, sorry, have to go, baby is fussing." Kazuma had wondered upon that last bit, but assumed whatever the arrangements were they didn't involve him. Shrugging he Opened the front door and him and the small boy scrambled out into the sun.

Kazuma walked with Kyo the a mile to school. He didn't own a car so he was fortunate to live so close. "Okay Kyo, today they're going to do some tests and then you'll be placed in a class. I don't want you to worry if it's kids younger than you just behave." Kazuma lectured, the boy didn't respond. Kazuma sighed, and didn't notice the small flinch.

They wondered into the bussling office, Kazuma felt slightly overwhelmed by the hurried administration speed walking through the small room.

"Excuse me." He said, and then a little louder as his call went unoticed "Excuse Me!" A plump woman stopped mid stride and stared down her nose at him, which was impressive as he had a good couple inches on her still.

"Can I /help/ you?" She crossed her arms, tapping her fingers on her arm.

"I hope so, this is Kyo Soma, he's suppoed to be starting here today." Kazuma tried to smile plesently at the woman.

"I see, talk to Jim, Jim handles those things." She pointed in a direction and hurried off before Kazuma could ask for more clarification. He sighed and headed in the direction she pointed, scanning the office desks until she saw one with "Jim Butch" on the name plate.

"excuse me?" Kazume stood in front of an american man, who seemed to be fresh out of college.

"Yes, can I help you?" Jim replied in a heavy american accent. Looking up from his desk with a smile.

"Yes, this is Kyo, he'll be starting here today. I was told you can take it from here?"

Jim stood out and reached a hand to the small boy, who turned away from it, his eyes downcast. Jim let out an awkward laugh before standing straight and looking at Kazuma. "yes, I can take Kyo from here and work on the placement testing. How does that sound Kyo?"

The boy seemed to retreat within himself, Kazuma sighed and shook his head. "I'm afraid he's a bit shy, but he follows directions okay. Am I good to go?"

"yes of course, just pick him up when school is out." Jim smiled and nodded a goodbye.

Kazuma hurried out of the building, breathing a sigh of releaf when he managed to excape the den of stress. In all honestly he had a hard time in his own school days, and even as an adult some of the panic was still lingering when he set foot in the building. He closed his eyes and breathed, concentrating on the peace of mind he was trying to achive.

Meanwhile at the office Jim took Kyo into a small room

"So Kyo, take a seat, why don't you tell me about yourself." Jim smiled, taking out a laptop and placing it in front of Kyo.

Kyo looked down and swung his feet in the slightly to large chair.

"How about we play some games instead? Some of them might seem a little tricky but I think you'll get the hang of it." Jim set the laptop to a page that had some farm animals. "So in this game you'll get to count the animals, and you click on the right number at the bottom of the screen, simple right? Sometimes it'll ask you to only count a certain kind of animal, like chickens, and then you only say how many chickens there are even if there are other animals on the screen." Jim was nodding as he spoke, Kyo thought he looked kinda like those dashbord bobble heads.

"How about we do this first one togeather? It says COW so you count the cows."

Kyo stared at the computer, he didn't really have much experience with computers, sometimes they used to use them in school but he didn't have one at home. Looking at the cows there were 3, he felt a little upset, obviously there were 3 cows, did this guy not think he could count? Kyo clicked the number 3 with the mouse.

"Great Job!" Jim clapped his hands "Okay, I'll let you do the rest on your own, and when we're done with this game we'll do another game." Jim sat down at his desk and Kyo looked back at the screen. Now there were Chickens. 2 Chickens. Kyo clicked the 2, feeling a little foolish.

Then there were chickens and cows. First he counted the cows, then the chickens.

Then there were sheep

And then ducks

A cat

Some dogs

Pretty soon Kyo was counting dozens of animals, and the numbers were starting to get bigger.

Then the page went white with a big 2 in it. He looked over at Jim, who was looking at his own computer.

Kyo contimplated what to do, he didn't want to bother Jim if he was busy, Jim was nice but Kyo knew that men hated being interupted if they were working on something.

He should just wait

Jim would look up eventually and if Kyo waited then he wouldn't have to bother the guy.

So he waited

Minuts passed and Kyo started to grow impatiant, he swung his legs, playted with his hands, and eventualy he started swinging the mouse around the screen in different patterns.

Accidentally he clicked.

The screen went back to the animals and this time it said COWS and CATS on the top

Was he supposed to count both of them?

This must be the next game that Jim was talking about, he could figure it out on his own. He wasn't stupid afterall.

There were 3 cows and 9 caats

So it would be 12, that's not too hard. Kyo clicked the 12 button and then the screen said Ducks and Dogs

Ok, 9 ducks and 5 dogs. This time Kyo had to count on his hands. It would be 14.

It went on like this until the screen came to a level 3

Kyo knew what to do now and clicked on the screen to find a picture of a cat and a bunch of letters where the numbers used to be.

Was he supposed to spell it? This was a bit more confusing, but that must be right. C.A.T. duh

He went through all the farm animals though he wasn't quite sure how to spell horse. He think he got all the other ones right.

Then there was a Boy and a woman

MOM

Mom

Mom

Mom

"Why do I call you Mom?" Kyo asked, pulling on this mother's dress. She bent down and smiled "Because I'm your mom silly."

"But what's a mom?" Kyo binked curiouslly, his crimson eyes full of wonder.

"Well," she ruffled his head. "When someones there to take care of you, to love you, to feed you, to protect you, that's what a mom is."

but

You didn't

You didn't protect me.

you left me

Kyo felt the stings of belts hitting him, the pain from below, the smell of sweaty men. He couldn't escape it.

"KYO." Kyo snapped his eyes open, looking into brown eyes of Jim

"Kyo, snap out of it, whats going on?" Kyo looked around rapidly taking in the damange he had caused, the computer was now on teh floor, the screen black, teh char was across the room, he was on the ground withh Jim's hands shaking him.

"I'm sorry!" Kyo almost screamed, panic setting in.

"Hey it's ok, just let me know what is going on." Kyo detected a bit of calous in his voice. maybe he was lying about it being ok. of courseh e was lying.

"I, um, I just, remembered my mom."

Jim's eyes seemed to soften. "Why does that make you so angry Kyo?"

Kyo thought for a moment, why was he angry? He hadn't noticed until Jim mentioned it, his fists were clenched, his jaw was clenched, he felt hot. "I guess, I'm angry that she lied."

"How did she lie?" Jim set next to Kyo, leaning against the wall. Maybe he was nice?

"She said she would protect me forever, but then she left." Kyo felt his voice crack, and it wasn't untill a hot tear hit his arm that he realized he was crying.

"Protect you from what?" Jim asked, leaning in a little closer and passing Kyo a tissue from his pocket.

"From, from, my-"

NO

NO

Don't tell him

IF you tell him

If you say anything

how could he almost screw up so easily?

How could he

"KYO" Kyo opened his eyes again, feeling a sense of dejavu overwhelm him. "Kyo, snap out of it."

Kyo once again took in his surrounds, things appeared mostly the same, until he looked at Jim's face, the teaher had what looked like small scratch marks.

Had Kyo hit him?

Hit a teacher?

Kyo didn't know much about school, but he knew that you could never ever hit adults.

"Kyo, just calm down, deep breaths buddy."

Kyo nodded, the hot tears now streaming.

"How about we call your dad huh? Seems like maybe you should go home a bit early." Jim nodded, standing up and picking the chair back up. "Do you know his number? I'm afraid we don't have it on file yet.

Dad

his Dad

He couldn't call Kazuma, he didn't even know the number, but even if he did, Kazuma wouldn't want him now that he messed everything up.

Kyo felt a residing dread settle in the pit of his stomach as he realized that he would have to go back

he had no choice

he screwed up.


	4. Chapter 4

"I apologize whatever trouble the boy may have caused you, I assure you I'll make sure it /never/ happens again."

Kyo sat in the chair, trying despereately to will himself to dissapear. His father was smiling, talking to the teacher, shaking his hand. Kyo felt the urge to puke, but managed to keep it down. It was fine, it wasn't like this was anything new, he could handle this.

"Who was the man who brought him in to school today? A servant perhaps?" Jim asked, returning the smile.

Kazuma

That's Kazuma

He's not a servant!

"Yes, he's normally the one in charge of the boy but I will show up for the important matters, which this seems to be."

"It's good to be there for him, especially after his mother passed away."Jim nodded "We've very understanding that a tragedy like that often has extreme results on the children, outbursts, or isolating themselves, be sure to keep an eye out for these signs, often it's not because they are bad kids but they have so much emotion and don't now where to put it."

"Understood." his father nodded, and turned to Kyo, Kyo felt his blood run cold at the gaze.

"Let's get in the car." His father said in a pleasant tone, but his face was far from matching. Kyo felt himself move without willing, his body acting out of habit.

"It was good meeting you, I hope your day goes more smoothly now that we're out of your hair."

Jim nodded and waved as his father grabbed his arm, gribbing it so hard Kyo felt like it might sever it competely.

"Get in." he whispered, opening the door do the back seat. Kyo reluctantly got in.

As they drove away his last thought was on Kazuma, he wished more than anything that Kazuma would show up, get him, take him to his house. But Kyo knew, he knew that he couldn't put that on the man. he couldn't do something like that.

"So, the moment you manage to run away from me I get a call from a school saying that you're "having problems" not like that's a surprise. You are a problem."

"Sorry sir." Kyo spoke, just loud enough to hear.

"You think sorry will fix things? You embarassed me, you risked everything, what if they found out what you are huh? Do you know what I would have to put up with?"

"I understand, I'm sorry." Kyo spoke again, the words were automatic, having said them likely thousands of times.

"What will you do to fix it huh?" The man yelled, his hands starting to grip the wheel hard and harder, Kyo felt the car accelarate

"I um, You don't have to keep me." Kyo whispered, his mind spinning for a way to fix things, for a way to get out of his inevatable punishments

"What? you think you deserve a home where you're loved? You think you deserve happyness?"

"No I just-"

"MURDERERS DON'T DESERVE TO BE HAPPY"

There was a screeching of wheels as they served to miss a truck speeding by.

"I um, I." Kyo felt panic setting in, he wiped his sweaty palms on his pants, trying desperately to think of a way. any way.

"Shut the hell up you little monster, you killed her, you killed my wife, you killed the only thing I ever loved and you think you could just go to school and live a normal life? You think I would just let you move on?"

No

He wasn't trying to

He could never

"I didn't"

"you did."

"I didn't kill her, it's not my fault." Kyo whispered, shrinking in his seat, grabbing his head as the thoughts seemed to scream at him.

"If you were never born she could have been happy." the words were said more factually than out of anger, and that seemed to sting more than anything. It wasn't an opinion, it was just a fact. One he could never argue with.

but she was happy

She smiled at him

They laughed togeather

She was happy

right?

"It should have been you."

Oh

That was true

Couldn't argue with that

The words seemed to eco in his head, swirling around into a huge turnado that obstructed everything.

it should have been you

it should have been you

IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN YOU

"STOP IT!" Kyo screamed out, gasping for breath."IT WASN'T MY FAULT, IT WASN'T"

The car lurched to a stop, causing Kyo to slam his head against the seat in front of him. "Get out, we're here." His dad didn't bother looking back.

Kyo breafly considered opening the door and making a run for it, but where would he go? He was just a kid and couldn't take care of himself, and afterall it's not like he could go to a homeless shelter, it was to much risk. To many women wanting to give him a hug.

He didn't know where a shelter was anyways, his father lived a good 10 min drive from town, what would that be walking? a day? proably closer to a week.

A slam startled him from his thoughts, looking up he noticed his father had left the car, if he didn't hurry he might be locked out, it had happened before. He scrambled from his seat and fumbled with the door knob, hands slipping from the sweat. managing to swing the door open he dashed towards the house, and slipped inside just before his father slammed the heavy wooden door shut, latching it. The latch was at the top, affectively locking Kyo in unless he found a chair.

It was at this time that he dared look up at his father, despite the past proving the attempt hopeless Kyo hoped to see some sort of trace of grace in the man's eyes.

something broke inside Kyo

Maybe it was the very beginnings of healing that had happened the in last couple days

maybe he got used to the warm smile of those around him

Maybe he had just started to begin to forget the wrath of the home he grew up in.

Whatever it was, whatever it could have been

There was no trace left

The slap threw Kyo against the wall, where he knew better than to get up. He covered his head with his arms, rolling to face the wall, keeping the harm to a minimum

It was silly

to think that life coule have been diferent


	5. Chapter 5

"What do you mean he isn't here?" Kazuma asked Jim, who shook his head in frustration.

"I told you, he was having some problems, and we called his father to come pick him up. I didn't have your number yet but Kyo knew his father's number.

"But-" Kazuma sighed and ran a hand through his long hair. "Dont' you understand that he's not living with his father? He was removed from the home."

"Oh" Jim seemed to grow pale as the realization settled over him. "Oh no, I had no idea, you're telling me that the boy was removed by Social Services?"

"Not exactly, it's more of an internal family matter. Nothing offical but still, the boy should not be allowed to see his father." Kazuma slumped in the small chair, he would have to make some phone calls when he got home.

"I'm afraid there's not much I can do, I don't have the number as our phones don't save it. So you're not the boys legal gardian then?"

"I suppose not, the kid was just dropped off a couple days ago. I was kinda told you had all the paperwork."

"It's possible that any paperwork dropped off hasn't been processed yet. I don't have anything in my records other than we were expecting him as a student. Is there anything I can do to help resolve this issue Mr Soma? I assure you you have my deepest remorse for the mix up."

"Honestsly it's a mistake anyone in your position would make." Kazuma forced his anger to burn down "Let me give you my home number to make sure that you have it in case something comes up again."

After scribbling down his number on a paper Kazuma left back to his place, needed to call Satsuki and didn't want to have this conversation within the school, as understanding as Jim could be he did not need to overhear the inteworkings of the Soma family drama.

"Satsuki? This is Kazuma"

"Kazuma? Oh my, I should have called to check up on you and Kyo, I'm sorry I've just been so busy-"

"No worries about that, we've run into a problem at the school."

As Kazuma reveiled the details of the delema he could hear Satsuki's gasps and 'oh my's they almost made him chuckle.

"Satsuki, maybe we need to handle Kyo over to CPS, if things are as bad as you've implied maybe barrying it under the familly rug isn't the best option" he knew how the Soma family liked to save the dirty work to keep their 'good name' however some things were just to much

"I'm afraid perhaps it's a bit more complicated than I have let on, you see Kazuma, Kyo is actually one of the Zodiac Children."

"What? I would say that's just a 'bit more complicated' why didn't you tell me before?" Kazuma almost dopped the phone in shock, what if he had let someone get to close? let someone hug Kyo?

"He's not just.. not just any zodiac child. I know you're not in the dark about these things Kazuma, he's the cat."

This time Kazuma did drop the phone. He blinked in shock, ignoring the high pitched voice from the receiver.

The cat

How could he

Be in charge of something like that?

It wasn't that the child was the cat, well maybe, Kazuma had heard the rummers around the cat's 'true form' the monster that it became, the way it could lose control, destroy everyting in it's path. He wansn't sure how much he believed, a monster form was a bit outlandish even for the zodiac curse.

But it was teh family

He would be shunned for ever taking in the boy. It wasn't like he knew the boy, wasn't like he owed him anything

"Kazuma? Kazuma are you there?"

Kazuma looked down at the phone, hanging by it's cord, and picked it back up. "Sorry, I'm here Satsuki"

"Listen, I knew that it's not easy, but I just thought, with your grandfather, you might understand at least a little what the kid is going through. I'm sorry Ishouldn't' have hidden it from you I just didn't have any other options and couldn't risk you rejecting him."

His grandfather?

Oh yeah

He remembered now. His grandfather was the last cat. Kazuma closed his eyes, trying to recall if heh ad ever met his grandfather.

"Kazuma, wouldn't you like some candy?"

"No way, you'll curse it."

That was it, those were the only words he had ever spoken to his grandfather

The man who had done nothing but offer him some candy. His parents never spoke of his grandfather, he only heard rummers that he was related by other children, they teased him for having the "cursed blood" inside him.

So he came to hate his grandfather

"Satsuki?" Kazuma asked, cutting thte women off

"yes Kazuma?"

"How do we get him back? Where is he?"

"You'll still take him in?" Satsuki sounded surprised, Kazuma couldn't blame her, he was ssurprsised himself.

"Just tell me where he is, I'll get him back." Kazuma jotted down the address then hung up, cat or no cat, Kyo was still a person, still just a boy, he didn't deserve to be treated as a monster.

Damn the consecuenses

Kazuma sat in the passanger seat as the driver sped down the road, without a car he had to call in a favor, luckily the main house sent one of their drivers. it was late afternoon now, he had to call all his last class and cancel, but it was no matter at this points, his only thoughts were on Kyo.

He had not met Kyo's father, but from Satsuki's breaf description the man was like poison, every moment Kyo spent with him was like the life being sucked from the boy. No more. Kazuma would not allow the injustice to go on a moment longer.

He slowed down, counting the house numbers until he spotted the correct one.

It was not a bad house, made of brick, but had not been maintained in what looked like years. the bushes and weeds seemed to be so tall they covered almost every window, making the house look like a fortress.

"Don't lose courage." He told himself, stepping out of his car and waving to the driver to wait. The man nodded, seeminly unconcerned with the volcano that was about to explode.

A knock on the door went unanswered, taking a deep breath, Kazuma knocked again, louder. This time the door swung open to a gruff looking man, though looking realiatively professional, answered. Kazuma eyed the bottle tucked away in one hand before meeing the man's gaze. It was cold. "Can I help you?"

"I'm here for Kyo, I heard there was a mixup at the school and offer my apologies, but I am here to take him home now." Kazuma answered politely, giving his best smile. Despite the pain it caused perhaps it would save Kyo pain later.

"I'm afraid that arrangement is no longer available, thank you for coming by." The man attempted to shut the door, which Kazuma's sharp reflexes quickly stopped, he kept up his smile, but forced his eyes to show a bit of fire.

"I was hoping perhaps we could renegotiate, I'm sure you don't need bothered by the boy." Kazuma took a step closer, trying to peek into the house.

The man was not ammused "I assure you, he's not a bother at all. I missed his company, he can be quite entertaining afterall."

"KYO!" Kazuma spotted him, the orange hair standing out against the bleak background, he was huddled in a ball, unmoving, but there was no mistaking the tinge of red that splattered his skin. Kazuma shoved the man back, runnign to the boy. "Kyo, are you alright?"

"course he's alright." The man grabbed the back of Kazuma's collar, pulling him up from his kneeling position. "Now LEAVE" He pointed at the door

"How could you? To your own son?" Kazuma grabbed the raised hand, his grip like iron. "What did Kyo do to deserve your wrath?"

"I have no son" the man spat "As to what he did, didn't you know? That kid killed his own mother." The man pulled his arm away, and spat at the boy. "he's not even human, why are you defending him? He doesn't deserve to live."

Kazuma was caught off guard. Did he really kill his mother? That seemed impossible, but the rummers of a monster that destroys everything, it's possible that Kyo lost control. He shook his head, as if to clear the thoughts away. "Despite this, I would like him to come with me for now."

"No, now leave." The man attemped to turn away, but Kazuma grabbed his colar, raising him up to eye level.

"I'm afraid I wasn't asking." Kazuma growled, and threw the man to the ground. He bent to pick up Kyo, before turning to face the man "You touch him again, I will kill you."

With that they left.


	6. Chapter 6

**Authors Note:  
****Hey Readers, it's truely been an honor that you have stuck with me this far, that being said this story is not getting a lot of traffic. I'm considering ending it in one more chapter, if you want me to continue this story please let me know in a review :) **

* * *

"Kyo?"

The boy showed now response, they were sitting on the futon in Kazuma's living room. Kazuma staring intensely at the child, who seemed to shrink under the pressure. How was he supposed to get through?

"Kyo, you're injured, can you take off your shirt while I fetch the first aid kit?"  
If Kyo hesitated, Kazuma missed it during his search for the small first aid box. He was about to give up hope and head to the dojo for the one he knew was there, when the red + caught his eye at the top of a shelf, under another bunch of boxes. Groaning and standing on his toes he managed to wiggle it down without everything else toppling on top of him.  
The sight that met him back in the living room caused him to drop the kit, where it landed with a small 'thud' on the ground.  
Had he known Kyo was being abused? Her certainly suspected it  
Had he expected a couple bruises? absolutely

But he did not expect this.  
Kyo sat, arms wrapped tightly around himself, he seemed to shrink inward at Kazuma's gaze. Kazuma decided that no reaction was the easiest way to handle the situation. Just act like everything is normal.  
Inspecting a jagged cut under Kyo's arm, he ignored the larg, hand like bruises along Kyo's waise, no doubt where Kyo had been focefully grabbed dozens of times. The bruises along the child's stomach, and along his ribcage, Kazuma was suspicious they were caused by kicks, thrown at the already down child.  
Rage built up at him as his examination continued. He worked hard to steady his breathing, no doubt Kyo might blame himself for any outburst Kazuma might cause.  
Kazuma assessed that Kyo's wrist was sprained, '_maybe from blocking a blow?'_ He wondered. He wrapped it securely, he had been around enough similar injuries from the do-jo to know he didn't need hospital attention. Still, maybe he should contact the Soma doctor, he wasn't quite sure how to treat such excessive bruising. He hoped that none of the ribs were broken, unfortunately he wasn't skilled enough to determine their fate.  
Kyo still hadn't spoken a word to him. Kazuma sighed softly. After this, he couldn't blame the kid if he never talked again. "Kyo" he spoke softly, making sure to use his smoothest voice. "Did you father do all this?"  
Kyo seemed to flinch at the words, but nodded, looking down.  
"Will you tell me why?" Kazuma asked, though he knew, Kyo was the cat.  
Kyo simply shrugged, eyes still downcast.

"Your father mentioned your mother, she passed away?" Finding out more about his past might help him figure out how to get through to the boy.

Kyo didn't move, and Kazuma took it as a yes.  
"Would you like to tell me about her?"  
Kyo looked up at this, his eyes wide, though not with fear. Perhaps he was surprised? "She… was kind."  
Kazuma blinked in surprise, he had spoken, and his voice, it was so soft, so innocent, though Kazuma knew that Kyo's mind was not as innocent as a normal child's  
"Yeah? I bet you miss her a lot. What fun things did you do together?" Kazuma tried to sound reassuring, hoping Kyo would open up more.  
"She taught me how to cook." he nodded. "we would cook dinner for father before he got home, it was really fun."  
"Yeah? That's great, so you learned to cook from her huh?" Kazuma held back the urge to ruffle the boys hair, touch was likely a trigger after that beating. Kazuma took Kyo's shirt and helped him back into it.  
"Yeah, I would mess up a lot but…" Kyo's voice seemed to falter a bit "But she wouldn't mind, said that everyone messed up sometimes. I wish that the father was that nice."

Kazuma could tell that Kyo was starting to clam up, the thought of his father seemed to shut him down. he quickly changed the subject.

"You know, Jim at the school mentioned that you were really smart. He said that you were solving all the tests quickly, and all by yourself." Kazuma recalled the information Jim had rambled, Kazuma got the feeling he rambles when he was stressed.  
"really?" Kyo looked up surprised.

"Yeah, I bet that tomorrow you'll finish it all and then you can start going to class, then maybe you could make some friends."

Kyo pirked up at the idea, then his brow creased with worry. "But what if I can't make friends?"  
"have you ever had friends before?"  
"Um, yeah, Kagura, do you know Kagura?" Kazuma tried to rack his brain, the name sounded familiar "she's the bore"  
"Ah, a zodiac child, yes I know her"  
"she was my friend but, she doesn't talk to me anymore." Kyo looked down, Kazuma wondered if they had a fight.  
"well, I'm sure you'll get teh chance to be friends with lots of kids, don't worry, if they're mean to you I can teach you to kick their buts" Kazuma smilked, reassuringly  
"really?" Kyo looked up, eyes wide. "You'll really teach me kung-fu?"  
"well" Kazuma laughed "I run mixed martial arts, so you'll learn a bit of kung-fu I suppose. We focus more on judo, self defense. It's important not to pick fights, but to defend yourself if they come your way."  
"I guess I understand that." Kazuma smiled at the boy.  
A knock on the door gave them both a jump, Kazuma made his way towards the door, half expecting it to be Kyo's father with more abuse. expecting the worse he opened the door.

"Kazuma? Thank goodness- you weren't answering your phone." It was Satsuki, looking quite out of breath, her face red from the cold evening.  
"Satsuki? Come in" Kazuma released a breath he didn't realize he was holding "I apologize, I've been out for a bit."

Satsuki made her way inside, thankful for the warmth the house provided.  
"What can I help you with?" Kazuma noted Kyo staring from the other room. He made sure to keep his voice low.  
"I'm here for Kyo." She blinked, surprised at the question. "You said this morning that we needed to find another option for him, and I figured with the school mix up, changing your mind wouldn't be an option." she gave him a sad smile, which told him she didn't blame him.  
"actually." He cleared his throat. "Maybe, just a few more days would be ok. I think that moving him right now might be hard on him."  
Satsuki gave him an eye, seeing through his paper thin excuse, but didn't question it. "Is that so? You're probably right, after the trauma the kids been through-"  
"Yeah so-" Kazuma turned, to look at teh boy, who was hiding in the doorway, eyes wide, inquiring. He shot the boy a warm smile. "I think me and Kyo are going to be just fine for a bit" he raised his voice, so that Kyo could hear.  
"Well, I sure am glad to hear that." Satsuki smiled. "I would take him in myself, but right now, Hiro has caught a nasty cold, and keeps transforming into a sheep, which doesn't help his health. It's really quite a mess."

Kazuma nodded, sympathy for the small sheep rising. "When they're so young, a cold can be quite a deal. I will wish the best for you both. You're a remarkable women, looking after other children when your hands are full with your own."  
Satsuki laughed "I'm going to tell my husband that you're trying to swoon me." she joked, patting Kazuma on the arm, Kazuma was taken aback by the sudden touch, but laughed himself.  
"Hey, you're going to make me look bad."  
"You're like what? 25? and still without a girlfriend? Kazuma it's time to get out there, meet someone."

The sudden change of topic took Kazuma by surprise.  
of course

she wouldn't know

_Hina.._

It had been a while sense he thought about her  
Still, the sudden pain that came rising like a typhoon was just as crushing

"Kazuma? I'm sorry, are you ok?"  
Kazuma focused on Satsuki's concerned eyes, he then realized he was clutching his chest, and his breaths were slightly abnormal. Not enough for the average person to notice, but Satsuki was just that type of women.  
"Sorry, yes, just got lost in thought." he lied, giving her a smile. "Excuse my manners, I forgot to offer you some tea, would you like some?  
"No, no I need to be getting back." the concerned face was not quite gone. "But Kazuma, let me know if you need anything, I know I burdened you with a lot in such a short amount of time."  
Kazuma glanced again at Kyo, who was fiddling with his sleeve.  
"No, No Satsuki, I don't see it like that, not anymore." The typhoon was starting to subside, and he let out a breath. "Let me walk you out."

"If you wouldn't mind" she smiled at him  
"Kyo, would you like to say goodbye to Mrs Soma?" Kazuma inquired at the child, and to his surprise Kyo came over, and gave a small bow

"Oyasuminasa" He said softly, Satsuki was surprised at the boy's voice, but hid it well.  
"Oyasuminasai Kyo" She smiled, and Kazuma went out the door with her.

"he talked?" She almost whispered as they got to the car "how did you get him to talk? I tried for hours to get him to open up."  
Kazuma shrugged. "I wouldn't say he opened up, but really I just asked about his mother and the wall seemed to break a little."

"His mom?" Satsuki asked "You know, Kazuma, his mother killed herself."  
Kazuma was taken aback, but now a lot of things made sense. The way Kyo shut down during certain topics.  
"I didn't, I didn't know that." He breathed

Satsuki opened up the car door, and slipped inside. "Patience with the boy, I know that you can do it." She smiled, closed the door, and drove away.  
Kazuma stood in the cold evening for a bit, letting the new information wash over him. It's no wonder Kyo locked himself inside a shell. To have a father like that, and a mother who did-  
He noticed two small eyes peering at him from the window  
He would have to think about this later  
Kazuma made his way inside, noticing Kyo was suddenly at the couch, looking at a book Kazuma had left out.  
"how about some dinner?" He asked

Kyo nodded, and jumped up, putting the book down  
One day at a time Kazuma  
One day at a time

* * *

**Authors Note:  
****Hey Readers, it's truely been an honor that you have stuck with me this far, that being said this story is not getting a lot of traffic. I'm considering ending it in one more chapter, if you want me to continue this story please let me know in a review :) **


End file.
